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Let me give a little insight into my job. I help craft campaigns and proposals for our sales team. Sometimes this is in collaboration with the client, sometimes not. My motto for crafting campaigns is that every client is unique. I know essentially we are all in business to make money, but the methods we use to get there are different.

This uniqueness in goals should be reflected in how your campaign is built. There isn’t a one size fits all marketing campaign. It is easy to do what everyone else is doing, or just pick products that sound cutting-edge and progressive. This is not the path to creating a successful campaign.

Here is the part of the blog where I change directions. After pontificating on the unique nature of each client, I am going to tell you what every campaign must have, or rather, the biggest mistake I see our clients make when building campaigns.

With all the advances in online targeting, the ability to place your brand in front of an exact niche audience has never been greater. Perhaps all this ability has made us forget the most crucial element.

Why is your audience listening?

Sometimes you can get so caught up in the logistics of a campaign, you forget the most crucial of questions. Perhaps we should make the question more pragmatic.

Why is your audience going to click, call, fill out a form, download a white paper, and ultimately choose you over your competitors?

With your audience having so many choices, it is imperative that you do something to stand out and give them a reason to engage.

Here are 4 ways to get the attention of your audience.

1. Content

Let’s qualify what I mean by content. The presence of text and images is technically content, but that is not what I am referring to. Your content needs to provide information that empowers the daily tasks of your audience. It can’t try to sell them something.

Here’s an example of a content-based banner ad:
[hs_action id=”10031″]
Figure out a pain point of your audience. Find out how to ease that pain and give that content away for free.

2. Entertainment

In the B2B realm, it is easy to forget about fun. People want to be entertained. If you can provide a moment of comic relief, excitement, or inspiration for your audience, you will have their attention.

3. Streamlined Buying Experience

This really comes into play with Search Engine Marketing. People searching are in the buying phase. Make sure their buying experience is simple and direct.

If they have to redirect to other pages, fill in the zip code 4 times, and then finally call someone, you better believe they will find another way to buy.

4. Exclusive Discounts

Whether this a promotional code or downloadable voucher, prospects are more likely to click an ad if it saves them some money. Free shipping is one that I have fallen for on a couple of occasions, but don’t be afraid to mix it up and get creative.

Getting your ad in front of the right audience is important. Take it a step further. Give that audience audience a reason to engage with you.